West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1887-09-01
THE WITNESSES.
DIR. TALMAGE'S SUNDAY SERMON.
Simple and Unwavering Faith Better
Than Logic in Answering
unbelieYers


proved conclusiveiy that railway train
could never be driven by steam power sue
ceSstully and without peril; but the rushing
express train from Liverpool 70 Edinburgh,
and from Edinburgh TO London, have made
all the nation witnesses OF the splendid
achievement Machinists aud navigators
proved concluSively that a steamer could new
er cross the Atlantic ocean; but no sooner had
they successfully proved the impossibility Of
such an undertaking than the work was done
ana the passengers on the Cunard and tho In
man and tho National and the White Star
hneS are witnesses. There went mp a guffaw
OF wise laughter at Professor Morses propo-
sltion TO make the lightning of heaven his err
rand boy, and II was proved conclusively
that the thing could never be done; but now
all the news of the wide world by Associated
Iress, put in your hands every morning and
night, has made all nations witnesses
80 IN the time OF Christ IL was proved CON
cluslvely that II was impossible for him To
rise from the dead. Ii was shown logically
that when he was dead he was dead, aud the
heart and the liver and the lungs having
ceased to perform their Offices, the limbs
would be rigid beyond all power of friction
or arousal. They showed 10 to be an absolute
absurdity that the dead Christ should ever
get up alive; but no sooner had they proved
TINS than the dead Christ arose, and the dis
clples beheld him, heard his voice and talked
with him, and they took the witness stand 10
prove that TO be true which the wisaacres of
the day had proved to be impossible: the
record or the experiment and OF the testi-
mony IS in the text: Him hath God raised
from the dead, whereof we are witnesses"
NOW, let me play the skeptic for a moment
There is no Cod says the skeptic for /
nave never seen Him with my physical eye
sight Your Bibleis a pack of Contradictions
There never was n miracle Lazarus was not
raised from the dead, and the water was
never turned into wine. Your religion is an inn
position on the credulity of the ages There
Is an aged man moving in that pew as though
ne would like TO respond. Here are hundreds
OF people with faces little flushed at these
announcements, and all through this house
there Is n supp. ess,d fe ling which would like
TO speak out in behalf of the truth of our
glorious Christianity, as in the days of the
text, crying out: We are witnessesln
The fact Is, that II this world is ever
brought TO God, II viii not be through argu-
ment, but through testimony. You mi9ht
cover the whole earth with apologies for
Christianity and learned treatises i'm defense
OF rehgion-you would not convert a soul
Lectures on the harmony between science and
religion are beautiful mental discipline. but
have never saved a SOUL and never will savea
soul, Put man of the world and a man of
the church against each other aud the man of
the world VIII IN ali probability get the
triumph. There are athousand things i'm our
religion that seem illogical to the world, and
always will seem illogical
Our weapon in this conflict is faith. not
logic; faith, not metaphysics: faith not pro-
tundity; faith, not scholastic exploration
But then, in order TO have faith we must
nave testimony, and il 800 men or ], 900 men
Vi oOV,NOo men, OF ouOU,utO men get md
tell me that they have felt the religion of
Jesus Christ a JOY, comfort, a help an in
spiration, am bound as n fair minded man
to accept their testimony. 1 want lust now
10 put before you three propositions the
truth Of which / think this audience win at
test with overwhelming unanimty
Inc hrSt proposition is We are witnesses
that the religion of Christ is able to convert
soul.
The Gospel may have had n hard time to
conquer us, we may have fought it back, but
we were vanquished, You saw conversion ia
only an imaginary thing: We know better
great a change in our heart and life ON anv
other subject as this People laughed ut
the missionaries in Madagascar becanse thev
preached ten years without one convert; but
tnere are 80 QUO converts in Madagascar to-
day. People laughed at Dr. Judson. the Ran
list missionary, because he kept on preaching
IN Burmah five years without a single con-
vert; but there are 10000 Baptsts in Burmah
today. People laughed at Dr. Morrison. i'm
China, for preaching there seven wears with
out single conversions but there are $50
Christians in China 20 day. People laughed
at the missionaries for preaching at Tahiti
Ior hiteen years without single conversion
and at the missionaries for preaching i'm Ren,
gal seventeen years without n single CONVEX
SION yet in all those lands there are multi
tudes of Christians today
But why go SO far to find evidences OF tba
Gospels power to save a sOull 1--WE are Wit
neSses We were so proud that no man
could have humbled US; we were so hard that
no earthly power could have melted us.
angels OF Tod we're ali around about us thew
could not overcome US; but one dav. perbor,s
at Methodist anxious seat or at a Presbv
terrain catechetical lecture or at a burial or
Oh hoIseDack a Iower seized us, and made as
get uoWh, ana made US tremble and made us
kneel, and made US cry for mercy. and we
tried 70 wrench ourselves away from the
grasp, but we could not IL flung ms flat and
Chen we arose we we're as much changed as
~ he at hon nuI.r. -
meeting with dagger and a gun 70 d.sfHrb
The meeting and destroy it, but the next dov
vas round crying: oh, my great sinsl OH
my great SAVIOUR and for eleven years
preached the gospel of Christ TO his fellow
mountaineeTs, the lat wor o. on ms dy,ng
grace
There Is a man who was Tor ten years n
hard drinker. The dreadful Ggpetts had
sent down its roots around the palate aud
the tongue, and ON down until they were
tnterlinked with the yitals OF the BODY.
mind and soul but Doe has not taken
any stimulauts for two years What did
tnati Not temperancs 81. istias. Not pro.
mbitory laws. Not moral slasiJn CouNe..
SION did o. why" said ono upon whom
the great change had come, 'tir, feel Just
as though were somebody else ~
There is a sea captain whO svOre all tho
way from New York ~ Havana and from
Havana 20 San Francisco, and when boz ,yas
m port be- was wor-e than when Zee was on
tongue clean Of prliauties md uia To- % iu a
palm singer Conversion by the Hnls Spirit
lhere are thousands Of people in ths house
o-msht who are no more what they onco
were than wateriIy is nightshade or "a
morning LARK is p culture. or dIy is uiZht
NOW, II ] should demand that all those
people in this house who have felt the CON
yerting power ~ religion should rise. SO far
from ieing h1med, they would spring 90
their feet with more aaorIty than they ever
sprang - the dance. the tears mingliug with
their eNhilai atom ns they cried eve are
witness And ID theF tried ~ sing The Old
Gospel hymn they would break down with
emotion By the time they got ~ tho second
lines
Ashamed ~ Jes1s. tat dear friend
On whom m pee 9f heaven de.rud7
30. When bush bel t.If my ruaue,
That no more revere bic name
Again ] remark that 1--WE are wituacscs" Of
the Gospel power t0 comfort
When q man has trouble the world comes
in and says; wow got your mind on this 20
out and breathe the fresh air. plunge do..I..r
into busiuese What poor advice Got
your mind or Of it' when everything is up-
turned with the bereavement ami everything
reminds Won of what sou have ilsr Crt
your mind on of if They might a. vel ad-
vac you ~ stop thinking Sou cannot stop
thinking. aud son cannot stop tIukInx u
That direction. Take "a walk in One fresh
airi Why along thot very street or that
very road She once accompanied y0u. out
or That grass plot sIo r.ueEeI flowers. 0r
into that show window Doe looked. fa1ni-